Jack White, Idles Perform ‘Never Fight a Man With a Perm’ at Riot Fest

Riot Fest 2025 got a double dose of Jack White. On Sunday, the musician made a surprise appearance during Idles‘ top-billed set, which came just before closers Green Day, for a special performance of their single “Never Fight a Man With a Perm.” White had also performed the prior day, when he headlined night two of the three-day Chicago festival.

White rocked around the stage on guitar with Idles matching his energy every step of the way. The track arrived towards the end of the band’s set list, which also included “Heel/Heal,” “Car Crash,” “The Wheel,” and more. After performing with White, Idles covered Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and closed out the set with an assist from Soft Play on “Rottweiler.”

White’s own set didn’t include any special guests, but the musician has been on a streak of celebrating his favorite musicians over the past few weeks. Last week, he performed the Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends” with Ringo Starr at Louisville’s Bourbon & Beyond Festival. The week prior, White was in the audience at a Nine Inch Nails show in Nashville.

“I was enthralled to attend the NIN show in Nashville yesterday with family and friends,” White wrote on Instagram, “not only for the intense and beautiful music but the best lighting that I’ve ever seen in a show. Very inspiring.”

White’s only other scheduled appearance is set for Sept. 27 at CBGB Festival in Brooklyn. He’ll headline the event at Under the K Bridge Park, as will Iggy Pop.

Meanwhile, Idles are still riding the high of Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing, the thriller film for which they served as the house band. The band is nearly done with their next album, a follow-up to last year’s Tangk. Frontman Joe Talbot told Rolling Stone that the soundtrack experience has “given me a real lease of life. I’m excited to go and finish the album now.”